Carry
by Beckon
Summary: There was a brief pocket of silence that seemed to follow her last remark and she couldn't help but to think of how lovely it sounded; if only every meeting could take place in pure, absolute quietness, maybe then she wouldn't see it all as such a hassle.


**A/N: Yes, I already know how the functionality of it doesn't work and whatnot but... what's wrong with having a little fun? I'm sure I'm not the only one who kind of wishes this could happen. Or at least I would hope I'm not. Because that would be awkward. Not sure if there's going to be another part to it or not, I'll just have to see where my thoughts take me. **

"You're going to make yourself sick with all that worrying."

Her simplistic sentence was enough to snap him free from the confines of his thoughts before he slowly shifted his gaze over to where she was walking at his side- or rather, where he was walking at her side. She moved with a steady, careful pace that was matched with a gait that was shorter and slower than her usual one. A silver dress replaced her normal day in and day out uniform; the long, gracious folds of silk complemented her figure as it draped over one shoulder and gave a decent cut down her back. The material was soft to the touch and almost matched her darker-gray curls that still bounced around her shoulders.

A soft chuckle toyed at his lips for a moment as he caught the slight tightness that was present across her expression. "I apologize, My Queen... you know how I can be."

She gave a brief snort and glanced briefly out of the corner of her eye; watching as his expression slowly changed to that cast away look once more. It wasn't all too rare to find him looking as such, his species was usually reserved and quiet-spoken- or at least they had been; he was probably the only one remaining who kept a hold on those kind of traits. She had gone out of her way to ensure that he kept his values protected; she had threatened and snapped at people who suggested otherwise. He was made perfect by the Goddess herself... there was no reason to change that. One hand moved to carefully smooth out the lingering wrinkles of her dress, still not entirely sure how she felt of the apparel. A few of her Branded pack members had gotten together and created such an... extravagant piece of wear for her in celebration; it was a gift she gladly thanked them for but... it was outside of her usual outfit and still needed some getting used to. They had even pieced together a separate eyepatch to wear as well and have a completed uniform for her. This was the first time she chose to wear it outside of their tight-fit Kingdom.

"Yes well... I suppose you have reason to be." She remarked; moving her eyes back to the double doors that rested at the end of the corridor in front of them. They were already ten minutes late for the meeting but... to hell with it. After the Goddess War and the shift in power throughout the countries, there were plans to be made and places to rebuild. Everyone had their own problems to deal with but they didn't want to lose the connections everyone had made with one another; so it was started that once a year, the leaders of every country would come together and share news and experiences they had encountered. It was a way everyone wanted to keep in touch... it just seemed like a waste of time and breath to her. Leave it to Beorc leaders to complicate words and elongate conversations well past their due date. She didn't bother to remark on such troubles though and tried to keep herself from snapping- mostly using Rafiel as a crutch for such matters. He was much more easy going around them and enjoyed the interactions, but he also made several trips throughout the year to visit with his siblings and Father so he was used to the others; she had fought alongside many of them in battle but merely sitting down and talking was much different from pure survival.

"Do you think-"

"I don't think, I already know." she interrupted as they grew steadily closer to the doors. She pushed them aside as soon as they were in reach and tried not to seem as unwelcoming as she felt at the given moment. Everyone else had already taken their places at the elongated table that served as their conference setting. King Caineghis was at the front of the table, even though his younger nephew, Skrimir, had taken over Gallia... it seemed more of a suitable fit for him to host these meetings. King Tibarn was seated on the right side of the table, presenting with him the brother Heron, Prince Reyson, former King of Kilvas, Naesala, and his two lackies- Ulki and Janaff. Across from him was Queen Elincia with her soldiers, Lucia and Geoffrey... as well as her suitable 'significant other', Lord Ike. The Apostle of Begnion, Sanaki, was flanked by her guards Tanith and Sigrun; the passing years granted a more suitable 'older' look that worked well with her extravagant fabrics of royal color. Queen Micaiah was seated with her 'King', Sothe, as well as high-counsel members, Pelleas and Fiona. She supposed it shouldn't be surprising to see the new King Kurthnaga present for once, with his guard member Garth and diplomatic advisor Nasir at his side.

And here she was with just Rafiel; she had ordered Volug to stay behind and help with matters in Hatari during her absence.

"Queen Nailah, Prince Rafiel, it's good to see you two finally decided to join us." Tibarn remarked openly as their mixed conversations paused for a moment at the sudden arrival of the remaining group.

"I wish I could say the same." she muttered mostly to herself before she decided to take on a different note. "You'll have to excuse Sir Stefan's absence from this meeting, he had another matter he had to deal with and wished for me to pass on those words."

"We'll just have to catch up with him another time then." Elincia remarked with a soft nod. "I hope you two are not too tired from your journey."

"It's no different than it's ever been." Nailah answered as the two of them eventually reached the oak-wood table. She had chosen to be seated at the end of the table, directly down from King Caineghis for the sheer fact that she enjoyed her space and did not wish to feel cramped; not to mention, if she could not hold her tongue well with the excessive conversations, she could simply get up and leave easily without a second word. She paused briefly as Rafiel chose to pull her chair out for her before she carefully took the red velvet seat; one hand moved slightly to seemingly hover over her shielded abdomen during the process. "We've been making this trip for many years now, it will never change."

There was a brief pocket of silence that seemed to follow her last remark and she couldn't help but to think of how lovely it sounded; if only every meeting could take place in pure, absolute quietness, maybe then she wouldn't see it all as such a hassle. Fingers moved to tuck a few of her curls away from her face before she looked back up to find every pair of eyes cemented to her end of the table. Everyone seemed to share the same kind of expression, the kind that said they all had a question but no one wanted to ask... probably out of fear but she wasn't going to make assumptions here.

"Did I miss something?" she questioned briefly to the man at her side; not that she really cared for the matter, but she might as well try to fit in.

Clearing his throat as quietly as he could, Rafiel leaned over to her for a moment to exchange the answer. "No, but your dress might've done something like that."

Her dress? She glanced downward for a moment to inspect the handcrafted piece once more before the realization quickly hit her. Of course.

A thick sigh escaped from her lips as she tilted her head back just ever so slightly before she moved it back forward. "Alright, now I get it, so which one of you wants to be the first one to make a comment? However, I must advise you, do be careful with your words- and I mean that."

It felt as though the room went even quieter after that. Goddess, it was almost suffocating at this point.

"You should have passed on the good news, we would've prepared a small celebration of the sorts." Caineghis started, breaking the room with his heavy voice. That stifled expression eventually melting to a more warming look that was fitted well on his thick features.

She supposed she should've been glad it was King Caineghis who followed through with the remark; she enjoyed the Lion King's presence and held him above everyone else in the room. Had it been the Hawk King to make the first word, she probably would not have been so eager to accept them. "Nonsense, this is hardly anything worth celebrating across Tellius. My Kingdom has been on its hands and knees with everything so far and needless to say, it's been a bit irritating. I do not expect to be treated as though I have a disability. Regardless, your words have been noted and I pass on my thanks for the offer."

"We can't even celebrate a little bit?" Micaiah pressed, her expression completely lit up with a bright smile; it almost looked as though she could barely keep herself contained in her chair anymore.

An even longer sigh wanted to progress into a groan at the persistence everyone pressed for but she didn't want to leave a bad mark. One hand moved to balance on the rounded portion of her stomach that had managed to press through the folds of her loose dress; she didn't really expect the news to break out like that but it did and there wasn't all too much she could do about it now. Still, a celebration was not what she wanted to deal with right now- she had already been pampered by her guards and citizens alike, and she was willing to draw the line right there. Not to mention, she just didn't want to deal with the questions... which were bound to start soon enough. "I'd prefer if you didn't."

"Could we at least send gifts?" Elincia asked. "It could be a sign of diplomatic... acceptance... for all the parties involved."

It was kind of funny to see them struggle for an acceptable reason to sway her, the entertainment from it alone probably would've been enough to change her mind. She looked over to the Elder Heron brother beside her, he seemed to be just as amused by the reactions as she was. "I suppose I should expand this into a two-party ruling and see what your opinion on the matter is."

"I see no problem with it... however, I will leave the final decision up to you." he started. "They just want to partake in the joyous event of you carrying on the future heir of Hatari." there was a brief moment of pause following his words before he moved to correct himself. "I apologize, I meant the future heirs of Hatari."

For once, it seemed as though he had spoken too loud as the room crackled once more with chatter.

"Heirs? You mean there's more than one?" the Apostle questioned.

"That's usually what a plural word is referring to-" Tanith started before a sharp, under the table kick silenced her. "In... return of that statement, I do hold the curiosity as to how far along you are. I mean, you're large enough to be noticed but-" there must've been another series of kicks as the Second-in-Command chose not to follow through with her next sentence of words.

"I think what Tanith means is that you're showing well and we're all just simply curious, that's all." Sigrun corrected as she tucked a long, green strand of hair behind one ear.

Personally, she thought the other Holy Guard member was rather humorous in her ways of not being afraid of what she said. It was a delightful break from everyone else who preferred to keep their words strict and tight-lipped. "I don't have an exact estimate on how many there are, I just feel a lot of movement and the doctors hear multiple heartbeats; even Rafiel can sense a few different beings. Seeing how a few of the other Wolf mothers in Hatari have given birth to two or three little pups, I have a feeling this will be no different. It will probably just be a small litter."

"Would the... 'pups' be a darker shade like Volug is or would they be white like you are?" Micaiah asked.

"I haven't a clue; we'll just have to sit around and wait for six more months." she shrugged as she moved to stretch her legs out in front of her. "I would imagine there'd be at least one White one though, figuring in my dominating genes."

"I guess it would also have to deal with who the father is." Janaff quipped.

Well, she supposed she shouldn't have been surprised that someone finally brought up the topic of paternity... it was more of a surprise that it took them this long to question it. And, of course, they would be looking for her to answer it... She listened to how the conversation seemed to split itself up at the different ends of the table, eventually moving away from her as the other Queens and ladies alike gushed about all sorts of gifts to get. As long as it left her alone for a brief moment, she'd be fine with it. Moving one hand from the arm of her chair, she slipped it underneath the arm of his and rested her hand on his leg. _So when exactly should we tell them and ruin this whole... peaceful arrangement? _

It seemed to take him awhile before he realized that it had been her thought he had read. "As for an answer... I suppose soon enough before the questions get out of hand. But, I must ask, why are you speaking like that?"

_I figured since Ulki over there could hear anything in this room, we wouldn't want to ruin the surprise._ she answered. _And your brother is too distracted and surrounded by other thoughts to be able to pinpoint this one. _

A light chuckle moved his lips as he nodded briefly along with her. "You make a point. From what it looks like though, the questions will be arising soon enough, so you should prepare a list of answers."

"Oh, I have them all planned out." she assured as she moved to push herself out of her chair for a moment. "But for now, you'll have to excuse me; I think one of our puppies just kicked the inside of my kidney."

* * *

><p>She had lived in the desert her entire life and had come to appreciate the heat and overall desolateness of her surroundings. But there was bound to be a time where such matters would come to annoy her and drive Hell on her overall form.<p>

A heavy shake rocked her growing form as she partly dragged herself across the open courtyard. It was quickly noted that it was far more comfortable to remain in her full Laguz form for a majority of the day, instead of putting growing pressure on her biped half. The early morning had carried a rather soothing, cool breeze that felt amazing when it brushed through her thick coat... unfortunately the sun was quick to move in and ruin that setting. Normally the heat didn't bother her all too much and actually provided a great setting for a nap but today, it just wasn't working with her. Getting to the other side of the courtyard, she fitted herself underneath the last piece of shade and managed to ease her way down once more.

"You're up early again."

She looked up at the remark and took note of him standing in the doorway; she didn't know how long he had been there but judging from the amused expression on his face, he had probably been there for a small while- just long enough to witness her elongated attempt to get back into a comfortable setting. "I've been awake longer than you've been asleep." she remarked as she brought her tail up to curl around herself, draping it over the larger curve of her stomach now. "If I had the same connection with the Goddess that you have, she would've been requesting a few moments of rest for herself instead."

He chuckled lightly at her words and watched as she gave another, softer shake this time around. Her coat had flourished over the passing weeks and held a beautiful, elongated praise to it; it was thicker and shinier almost... a beautiful side effect of her current condition. She played as though she didn't notice it, but during the early mornings when she didn't think he was awake, he saw the way she half-mindedly enjoyed running her fingers through the lively curls. He watched the way she stretched lightly and extended her feet out in front of her, partly spreading her toes before she went back to her withdrawn position.

* * *

><p>There were four of them in total.<p>

Two brown ones.

Two white ones.

The first born was a girl, which she predicted would happen, and the thin white hairs that covered the small nub of a tail told a story of soon becoming just like her mother in a decade or so. The soft, barely noticeable flickers of her ears said something of her heightened sense of alertness even at just a few minutes old; pale gray markings ran over her thin flesh and detailed the ability she would soon have to master and train in. In every aspect, with exception of her eyes, she mirrored her mother perfectly. She was named Iona.

The remaining three were boys, with the youngest carrying the same gene of some day becoming a White Wolf.

There was Elias, the second born, who already seemed to bore heavy features across his brow; carrying down genetics from a bloodline that surpassed her age and existence. His skin was just a tad bit darker and seemed to come into contrast with the white blanket that had been wrapped around him. Already he showed signs of herself as he fought against the fabric that was forced around him, exhibiting signs of a great fighter and willing contestant for future battles.

Malak was the third to come into the new world and displayed an aspect that was deemed new to her. Where Iona and Elias seemed to enjoy making the smallest sounds and struggle whenever someone went to pick them up, he was quite the opposite. It seemed just the touch of another had him curling up against them in support. She watched as Rafiel carefully cradled him in his arms and noticed how perfectly content he was with it; fingers tried to curl against the material of his robes only to settle on merely touching them instead.

The youngest, Nizar, was the loudest of the four, as though to make up for the birth order. She felt the way he seemed to vibrate against her as she held him against her chest, which seemed to be the only way to calm him down. His markings were a little less noticeable but could still be visible as it curled over his shoulders and down his arms. Small gray hairs were already showing on the top of his head as though to say that her genes had dictated yet another young offspring.

"How long do you think it will take?" she questioned; watching how her youngest seemed content with softly nibbling on the blanket that encased him. Fingertips dwelled on the curve of his nose and she watched as his attention seemed to displace itself to her instead.

He glanced up at the remark for a brief moment before he turned back to the child in arms; Malak had nestled himself into the curve of his arm and was already asleep with his black eyes tightly shut. "However long before you tell them I suppose."

"I get the feeling they already have an... itch, so to say." she remarked. "A sudden, out of the world need to drop by... but perhaps that's just me."

"Well then, at least you'll have something to show them, won't you." he replied as he quietly got to his feet and made his way over to the nearest bassinet that was empty; Iona and Elias were already fast asleep once more... while Malak and Nizar needed a little more time to wear themselves down. Careful hands gently set the sleeping infant down against the soft padding of blankets that made a bed for him and pulled his nursing blanket a little closer around him. "... They're absolutely stunning... I imagine they're all going to look like you in a few years."

A soft chuckle broke free from her lips and seemed to call for the attention of the child that still remained in her arms. "Yes well, that is something that this country acted as though it was in dire need of; a new line of heirs to take over when my life draws closer to its departure... Still, I await the day in which perhaps another set of heirs will resemble their father instead."

"Another set?" he repeated, as though mistaking her words for a moment as he moved over to where Elias was softly cooing in his sleep. "Is four not enough for you?"

"Four is perfect for me, but I don't feel like ruling out any others just yet."

And like the hot wind that caressed around the desert mounds and moved particles of sand piece by painstaking piece... her feeling was soon to become true. There was the unnecessary rush of gifts from the five countries as the girls cooed and giggled over the little ones while the men simply looked on from a distance. If she had been in a terrible mood at that moment, she would've snapped and sent them all back home but... with the combined effort of her daughter's giggles as Queen Elincia held her up and Rafiel's subtle soothing, she decided to let it pass just this time. If anything, she humored herself with watching as the female members of the monarchy seemed to glance teasingly over to their respective male counterparts- furthering their already awkward stances. There was talk over names and over birth order, over details and hours, the little stuff she didn't really bother all too much with and gave very little to her answers; brushing each of the questions off in her usual manner.

It would seem surprising that no one bothered to ask her who else the children belonged to, who else might've 'assisted' in producing heirs for her kingdom. Perhaps they merely assumed that her position as Queen and her rather stubborness at times dictated that a name wasn't necessary.

* * *

><p>She had allowed for a greater passage of time to pass before adding a new number of heirs to Hatari's throne... or at least that was how it was planned to be.<p>

Iona was growing into a near replica of her, only more patient and taking her time with conversations- although she did offer rather snarky remarks when they dragged on for too long and waned her patience. Elias was a fighter and, even at a mere four years of passing, retorted to running at anything that moved with some intent of attack; he had already bitten several of the guards, who humored his futile tries. Malak remained as quiet as he had been born and, while not as active as his older brother, he would defend himself when necessary. Nazir, while the youngest, enjoyed taking on Iona whenever possible- she guessed it was because of their white-tailed heritage; she would've done the same had she met any other of her specific kind.

Time somehow managed to play on her side with this turn as she completely avoided the annual get-together with the other countries and kept her new carrying passage to herself; keeping it a secret within the walls of Hatari herself. It was a much easier session this time around, with the exception of questions bombarding her every time she stopped. Elias wanted to know how many and Nazir wanted to know the names; Iona wanted to touch her stomach just one more time while Malak was more interested in wanting to know how and why. Rafiel did his best to quench their questions and give them the needed answers, sometimes looking to her for support when a question or two slipped away from him. Overall though, she found herself on the smaller end of it and figured there was no chance she was carrying multiples like the first time.

There were just two this time around, proving her wrong and right at the same time.

Lenora was the first born out of the two.

Lillia followed soon after.

When the next annual conference came around, she decided to make a bad decision on herself.

"I can't remember how long it's been since I've held someone so small." Caineghis remarked as he carefully cradled Lenora in his hands, although he could've easily held her in one. She was still tightly bundled together in her white blanket but could reach out and grip a finger or two when they were available. "I think the last one I held was... Skrimir when he was just a tiny cub- believe it or not."

"It's terribly difficult to imagine him as so." Elincia chuckled before she softly brought her elbow into the lower curve of Ike's ribcage; pulling his attention over to where the Lion King was carefully tending to every soft coo and giggle. "Look at how cute she is."

"Well here, I'm sure she's ready to look at a change of scenery." Caineghis offered; pushing himself to his feet with a sense of graceful ease. It was a delicate trade as he moved the active child from his hands to her much smaller ones, which were both needed for proper support. He moved his attention to the Wolf Queen at the other end of the table, who seemed all the more amused by the chatter and activity as she surprisingly enough allowed for her daughters to be held by the rest of the royalty. "They are beautiful, much like yourself, Queen Nailah."

She nodded briefly in thanks but found herself engaged in further amusement as she watched the Crimean Queen immerse herself in complete delight at the sight of the child. There was no sense in trying to deny her look of joy and the humorous attempts at pulling Sir Ike in on the matter. It was easy to tell she was passing on an obvious message... one he seemed to purposely overlook and tease her with. "I figured it would not hurt to introduce them to the public quite early on... they will receive plenty of attention later on and it would only help that they get used to it now. Not to mention, I consider you all to be good company to me and this encounter will hopefully pass on our goodwills further down the lines when we are all long gone and departed."

"Absolutely." Micaiah agreed; watching as Sanaki tended to the second child, Lillia. "Where is the rest of your brood?"

"Volug is looking after them; I figured if I attempted to bring them with me, one of them would get lost in the desert and never be found again." Nailah answered. "While it's a fairly uncomfortable journey sometimes, they handled it easily and much better than I had originally anticipated." _They get it from their father. _

"And here we thought you had outdone yourself the first time." Tanith remarked before a soft kick under the table seemed to respond that her comment was either not phrased well or was misplaced in the conversation. "Regardless, they are beautiful children... although might I add that they really don't look like you-"

"Tanith, is there no controlling you?" Sigrun questioned with a soft, quiet sigh to herself.

"Do not worry about it, even my son Malak doesn't look all too much like me either; it must simply be from somewhere else in the bloodline." she replied; watching as the younger Apostle moved to hand Lillia over to the dark-haired Captain, as though to try and prove a point with the matter.

There was just a small fumble with the exchange and part of her nestling blanket became loose and unraveled itself; the soft material unfolded and fell downward to conform around the passing hands instead of around the child. As far as it seemed, Lillia wasn't the least bit bothered by the mistake and made a soft, subtle attempt to stretch her arms outwards. A small, white, fluffed-covered wing unfolded and flittered a few times before it hung downward just the few inches of its length.

A stilling kind of silence passed over as everyone seemed to be suddenly hooked on the sight.

Lillia only cooed and giggled at the situation.

"... Oh dear."


End file.
